Troy Deeney is trying his hand at pool after calling time on his football career last year. The former Birmingham City captain has been awarded a wildcard entry for next month’s UK Open Pool Championship.
Deeney joined Forest Green Rovers after leaving Blues at the end of last season. The 35-year-old scored four times in 16 League Two matches before being handed the managerial reins in December.
After failing to win in six matches in charge of Forest Green Deeney was sacked just shy of four weeks in the job. He has been back on our TV screens giving his opinions on matches and will debut in a different sport on May 7.
“It’s something different, isn’t it? Something completely new,” Deeney told Sky Sports. “I just like pushing the boundaries a little bit, and seeing how it goes.
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“I’ve always got fond respect for any athlete in any profession. To do what they do takes hours and years of practice and dedication, so why not try my hand at it when the opportunity has come around?
“The aim is to go there and not embarrass myself to be honest, but also be humble enough and vulnerable enough to know these guys have been doing it for years. You can’t just put a few months’ worth of genuine training into it and a lot of years of odd playing – sometimes with a beer in hand as well – and expect to beat these guys.
“But I know as soon as I’m involved in anything, my competitive edge will come flowing through anyways. I’ll give it a good go. My end goal for this is to push the sport forward as much as I possibly can.”
